The Wisdom of the Land

Getting lost wasn’t part of the plan, but then again, the whole world was in a state of loss and disorientation. Another soul wandering around hopelessly would not make any difference at all in the great scheme of things.

At least at first, it was the three of them; his older brother Tomas, his grandfather, and himself. But after Tomas went out to scout some thought-to-be abandoned gas station more than a month ago and never came back, they resigned to returning to their main camp deep in the forest. His grandfather had lain a gentle wrinkled hand on his shoulder and slowly guided him back as silence fell upon them like heavy snow.

The snow wouldn’t be too far from them at that point, as they ventured further north through the creaking trees. The trees held their own wisdom, a wisdom that the grandfather had lived among his whole life. His grandfather, who still knew the old ways of being in the world, guided him through and out of the chaos that the rest of society had succumbed too.

~

It started with people’s phone signals and internet connections glitching and disconnecting. Then the flickering lights and random power outages came. When the power finally did go out without returning, people were already raiding what they could. No one wasted a second to grab what they believed was rightfully theirs, or to defend what they had salvaged. The boy had seen how fast people can turn on one another.

Luckily Tomas took him to their grandfather’s cabin early on. Their parents had chosen a different path; but that was long before modern society collapsed.

The boy learned to be quiet quickly, especially after his playful shrieks had led to his grandfather’s cabin being discovered. That day, everything had seemed so peaceful in contrast to how the rest of humanity was coping. He was out playing with Tomas; they were practicing shooting bottles using slingshots that Tomas had fashioned out of sticks and rubber hose they found in the shed.

The thunderous crunching of forest debris and shouts from afar alerted Tomas mid reload, and he had quickly clamped a calloused hand over the boy’s mouth. They quietly backtracked towards the cabin entrance and gather the gear they kept by the doorway in case of emergency. At their sudden arrival, their grandfather calmly rose from his tattered armchair and took his .22 long rifle from the doorway on his way out. Somehow, he was already in his coat and boots, as if he were long prepared for the oncoming storm.

They left through the back pathway marked by the exposed roots of the birch trees. The cabin was the last “modern” home they had seen in more than two moons.

~

The boy continued wandering aimlessly through the looming trees that seemed to both protect and swallow him whole. His grandfather had fallen ill suddenly, mumbling away in their native language incomprehensibly. After the third night of chills and hacking coughs that could split wood, the boy took it upon himself to go look for some medicine; either commercial or traditional, he’d take anything.

He first headed towards the sound of running water, he needed to gather some water to boil some cedar to make tea for his grandfather. That part was easy, but when he had finished filling up his canteen, he noticed movement in the bushes across the river. Not waiting to find out what animal or human had found him, he anxiously scampered back through the trees. Without thinking about the direction in which he was headed, he quickly got disoriented and lost.

As his heart hammered against the inside of his rib cage, he felt a rock sink in his gut as he realized he had no idea where he was or where to go. The sun was beginning to set, bathing the negative spaces between the trees in its golden aura. Though time for the boy was running out, he couldn’t object to the beauty around him. He inhaled deeply; catching the breath the earth was providing him with.

The sun rose on his left side this morning, and now it was setting in front of him, that meant he needed to make sure the sun was on his right and walk forward from there.

The boy was glad he still carried Tomas’ hunting knife; along with the canteen and the tattered blanket around his preteen shoulders, he continued onward. He hoped to return to his grandfather alive. Listen to the trees. He breathed in deeply again. A calm mind is an open heart that leads you to the right place.

~

It was at least an hour after the sun had laid its warming rays to rest that the boy began to panic again. With doubt in the trees’ “wisdom”, and the fear of a lonely night, he abandoned his silent demeanour and went about a noisier approach. He opted to being found, even if by strangers, then to be hunted by the predators of the night.

With the moon as his only source of companionship and light, he scrambled between the trees aimless once again. Through his diminishing vision, a structure began to take shape ahead of him. With a silent prayer to the Creator, he raced towards this possible beacon of hope. Though medicine was unlikely, at least there would be proper shelter from the elements for one night.

An abandoned barn filled the boy’s view, half of the top had caved in, and one door panel was hanging on by a thread, but it was better than nothing. Be careful boy.

As stealthy as a fox, he crept towards the entrance, trying to be as aware and mindful of any occupants that may have gotten there first.

He slowed his breathing, and lowered himself to a crouch, scanning the ground for any footprints around the area. Nothing.

After a count to ten, he finally peeked into the barn itself to find it completely deserted. A jumble of straw, fallen timber, and snow littered the interior. The barn though empty, held a magic to it. The boy could feel the stories of a brighter past envelope him as he entered. He could almost hear birds from another time, chirping along the upper beams.

Feeling around the ground, he gathered as much broken timber and straw as he could into a small pile and worked on starting a fire. When he finally got some smoke going, the straw quickly ignited and soon he could see his humble-and-now-warmer abode for the night.

Contented with his small success, he hurriedly gathered some straw around his tired body and lay on his side. The day’s travel and worries finally snuffed out the last ounce of energy left, and he fell into a heavy slumber.

~

Awaken.

The boy startled to a towering flame practically licking at the wooden beams, illuminating deep dark eyes staring down from above. Scrambling backwards the boy gasped for air at the sight of such intensity. The barn owl continued to stare at the boy, and as the boy slowly calmed, so did the fire.

Boy.

The owl raised itself to its full height, its feathery pale face surrounding the rich brown orbs which gazed deeper into the boy’s own eyes.

Danger will not sleep, but kindness will always prevail. Rebuild this sanctuary, and welcome those who are as lost as you have been. Listen to the wisdom of the land around you. You must rebuild, as what you have lost will not return. But what you create will grow tenfold.

Without further warning, the owl extended its vast wings and flew out of the barn.

And remember, you are never alone in a forest full of life.

The shriek of the owl engulfed the boy’s being, and he rose awake to a sitting position.

The sun’s rays barely reached him through the gaps in the barn, and when he gazed upwards to where the barn owl had been, he saw the beginning of a trumpet vine growing, even in the midst of winter.

A forest full of life.